Punch Shots: Soccer player's decision is bittersweet

By MATTHEW DeGEORGE

Friday, February 15, 2013

Imagine this: You're 25 years old. You're in the prime of a career that is limited to begin with. You're near the top of your profession, playing the sport you love. But you can't be yourself. There's a constant fear of the truth being revealed, a truth that defines you as a person that so many of your peers and fans simply can't handle or accept.

That has been the pressure under which American soccer player Robbie Rogers has been playing, and he made the courageous decision Friday to end it. In a blog post on his website, Rogers came out as gay and announced that he would "step away" from the game that saw him make more than 100 appearances for Columbus Crew over five MLS seasons and 18 for the United States National Team.

Rogers' decision to explain coping with the ordeal of being appreciated for his true self is admirable, and I can only hope that the next chapter he references in the blog involves working as an advocate to help others find the courage to confront the challenges their environments pose to their sexuality.

But selfishly, there's the soccer observer who wished it didn't have to happen this way. The person who laments the fact that a guy in the prime of a sports career -- in which neither your, color, creed nor sexual orientation makes a darn bit of difference on the soccer pitch -- feels that one of those factors precludes him from competing at his best.

It's a sad commentary on the sports world that Rogers, because of his sexual orientation, feels he can't exist there.